Chesterfield County residents along Jefferson Davis Highway will soon have easier access to the GRTC bus system.
The transit authority is preparing to launch a new bus route along Jefferson Davis Highway in March. The route will run from the Falling Creek area south to John Tyler Community College. This month, GRTC will start putting up billboards and bus stops signs.
Spokeswoman Carrie Rose Pace said the transit authority expects the new line will mainly serve a younger population.
“We’ve also seen that there is a higher concentration of Spanish-speaking population, particularly along the northern part of the route, which is why we plan to target and advertise in Spanish,” she said.
The new bus line, called Route 111, will be the first full-fledged route serving Chesterfield County. Currently, the county is only serviced by an express bus route that connects Commonwealth 20 to Downtown Richmond.
Chesterfield received help paying for the new bus service through a state grant program known as the Demonstration Project Assistance program.
Pace said the hope is that a successful launch could lead to more public transit options in Chesterfield County, which has been reluctant to expand its role in GRTC.
“The name really says it all, Route 111 will hopefully demonstrate that there is a need and want for public transit in this corridor,” she said. “That could then potentially serve as a model for other corridors that may be identified in the future by Chesterfield County.”
